Mountain Biking - What bike is the bike for me?

I'm relatively new to mountain biking, and I'd really appreciate some advice.

Experience:
I've only been interested in riding for the past couple of years. I've not been biking a heck of a lot due to my schedule, but I do go out regularly. During the summer I rode maybe 15 - 25 km a day every day. I may have done maybe 3000 km this season. I'm interested in doing a lot more biking, particularly mountain biking.

Situation:
I rode on a cheap dual suspension mountain bike (no, the bike doesn't have a name). Now the bike is shot. The frame is bent and the fork is destroyed (after a recent accident with a car). I have a road bike I picked up off the end of someone's drive and rebuilt. It does the job of getting me to school, but doesn't really do the job of taking me on the trails I built with my buddies in the area.

I need a new bike; I want to get one in the spring. Now, I'm poor and can't afford the nicest bike/gear. I'm planning on dropping somewhere around 800 - 1500$ on a bike.

What I'm looking for:
Information. What bike would you recommend for me? I like to ride singletrack trails - cross country riding. I enjoy downhill, but few of the trails I ride are downhill. I don't do much free riding (I ride skinnies and do small jumps). I'm interested in a bike that won't fall apart when I choose to race down my trails at high speed, or fall apart on a landing of a small jump. As well, I want a hardtail bike - not dual suspension. With my budget I can't afford any decent dual susp. - I know enough to know that.

I'm not partial to any particular brand, and I'm not afraid of buying used. I have a bit of mechanical experience as I had to rebuild my bike a number of times.

What would you recommend?

Thanks a lot!

-- Zan

A Trek 8000 would be toward the top of your budget. It's got very good components and fork. The only thing I didn't like are the dual control shifters.

well, someones gonna get annoyed for me suggesting a Norco but...

This is in their 'Shore Freeride HT' section. its beefier than an XC, but the forks have 120mm travel, so i think its a good compromise. if you plan on doing any XC racing, this things a little heavy, but it can handle the odd DH run. here's a link

http://www.norco.com/bikes/mountain/shore_hardtail/bigfoot.php

well, someones gonna get annoyed for me suggesting a Norco but...

This is in their 'Shore Freeride HT' section. its beefier than an XC, but the forks have 120mm travel, so i think its a good compromise. if you plan on doing any XC racing, this things a little heavy, but it can handle the odd DH run. here's a link

http://www.norco.com/bikes/mountain/shore_hardtail/bigfoot.php

It's a horrible alternative, get back to pinkdyke.

you can get a very nice hardtail for under $1500. Go to your local bike shop(s) and try out a bunch of bikes, as many as you can.

Look at jamis, i've been drooling over their steel xc hardtails all night. Jamis is a hell of a deal.

What about the Trek 6500? I've looked into this bike and seems to be one of the few bikes that fit in my budget range that will do the job well.

-- Zan

Whatever bike fits you and your budget is the bike for you. Go to your LBS.